"Escaped mass murderer, Isaac Foster suspected in recent killings."

Just as Ray had suspected, not even 24 hours had passed and already the authorities had alerted the public. It was there, in big bold letters on the television screen of the gas station she had stopped by to restock on supplies.

The young woman sighed, knowing that this was going to make it difficult for them to get out of the city. Yet she could not find it within her to be cross with the man over his momentary lack of restraint. Not after the piece of his past he had shared; she felt she was just as much to blame even if it had only been an accident on her part.

Just the thought of what had happened to him caused her heart to sting. Rachel knew beforehand that he had a rough past like her, but she had no idea just how bad it really had been. She regretted being so insensitive to it back on Cathy's floor, now that she knew the whole story it explained his reason for getting so agitated back then.

Rachel carefully deposited the supply of snacks onto the counter, quickly paid the cashier, then stuffed everything into her travel bag and made her way towards the exit. The woman was stopped momentarily, when the cashier called after her.

"Be careful out there ma'am, killers on the loose."

A fake smile crept up her lips, as she nodded at the man's warning; even though it held no weight for her. Rachel tugged the fur lined hood of her jacket over her blonde head before pushing the glass door open and making her exit.

The beat of her heart quickened upon spotting two policemen parked just outside chatting away over cups of coffee. Though she did not need to worry about herself given she had been declared dead; the increasing presence of law enforcement made her uneasy. Cops were posted around every corner it seemed. Ray pulled up her blue scarf over to conceal the majority of her face, even if they wouldn't be actively looking for her, it wasn't worth it to risk the possibility of one of them recognizing her. She had been right to wait for nightfall before making a move, it would have been much too dangerous to try to head out during the day and while Zack was still recovering from the drug.

"Yo." A tall man in a black hoodie called to her from his place leaned up against an alley wall, a large scythe propped handle up next to him. Had she not known he was there from earlier, she would not have even been able to see him with the only light being a small street lamp at the beginning of alley.

He casually waited for her to close the distance between them, before taking a step forward to slip the bag from her shoulder and sling it over his own, along with the other bag they carried.

"There are police everywhere." Ray informed him, "...Zack I can be useful and carry something."

The man had been insistent on carrying all of their supplies, claiming she tired out too fast the times she had tried to help. Regardless, it made her feel guilty for him to carry everything on top of his scythe. Isaac merely smiled and ruffled her blonde locks knocking her hood down in the process.

"Nah, yer weak ass wouldn't be able to keep up with that extra baggage." He smirked at the petty expression she wore after he flicked her nose, knowing full well she hated it when he would do that.

"I'm not that weak...I got stronger." Ray mumbled staring at her feet, she didn't want to slow the man down and desired to do all she could to be useful. However, he made that difficult at times.

"Nope. Yer still just a weak little brat."

The young woman pouted sticking her tongue out at the man; causing a light chuckle to rumble from his chest; before they began their careful departure of the city. The plan had been for Ray to scout just a bit ahead for any cops that might be around, giving Zack the okay to move forward after she had double checked that the coast was clear.

Though there was very little light Ray's night vision had developed quite a bit to the darkness over time, though not near as good as the serial killer following behind her; but she managed better than most.

The beam of a flashlight glowed just around the corner of the brick wall, causing Rachel stop abruptly with Zack following her lead. Isaac then grasped her wrist and tugged her a couple paces down the alleyway. The man silently pointed to a ladder attached to the side of the building up to the roof; from what she could tell it ascended all the way to the top of the building. Zack tucked his scythe against his body then picked her up just enough to allow her to clutch on to the iron bars. Her feet pushed her off the wall as she worked her way up. Her companion followed suit soon as she had gained enough distance.

Upon reaching the top Rachel extended her hand out to assist Zack, who rolled his eyes at her; but took her hand nonetheless. The young woman then scanned her surroundings, noticing that this building was just slightly taller than the rest.

The wind whipped her long hair behind her as her blue eyes looked about; now that she was able to have a clear view of the city. They were nearly to the outskirts and there was a forest of evergreens in the distance that should provide enough cover. Down below flashes of light shown throughout the alleys as law enforcement hunted for her companion. After the high number of victims in one night, they were definitely on high alert. This really was going to make it difficult for them to leave the city undetected.

"Hey, Zack?"

The woman turned to look at her companion who had watching her, waiting for her to come up with a plan. Even now she was remained the brains of this outfit. Right now though she wasn't entirely sure what to do. Rachel looked away out of habit she lifted a hand to nibble at her index finger; as she pondered the situation.

"Hah? What's up?"

His odd stare fixated on her, waiting for her explanation, as he shoved his hands nonchalantly into his pockets looking awfully relaxed despite their current predicament. Cops were a major pain in the ass no doubt about it but he trusted her entirely to dig them out of the hole he had thrown them in. Though admittedly he did feel guilty that she was always having to clean up his messes these days. It was his fault that the police were combing the streets for him.

"I-I think I might have an idea." She paused a moment before continuing, she knew he wasn't going to like this. "I can lead them away so that you can get out of the city."

"Tch! Ya crazy?!" Isaac stepped forward to glare at her like she sprouted a second head. After the effort he had gone through to get her back, he was not at all keen on the idea of risking them getting seperated. "No way! Not happening."

The woman sighed, he reacted exactly as she had predicted he might, however she couldn't come up with a better solution. The police were only searching for him, she was presumed dead therefore she could tip them off to a particular direction. This would allow Zack the opportunity to escape, and she didn't imagine it would be too difficult for her to give them the slip and follow after him.

"Zack...please. Let me do this. Worst case, we can meet up by that hotel."

She pointed towards a building outside the city limits that wouldn't be too difficult to reach, assuming her plan was successful and she was able to clear a path for them.

Zack however wasn't having it, the idea of her wandering around the city alone at night unsettled him. Even with cops about there was still the possibility of other kinds of trouble. Hell what if they somehow recognized her after all these years and dragged her ass back to that mental institution; just the thought of being seperated from her again made his stomach churn.

"And what if ya get lost again? Or those cops recognize yer face?" Zack grabbed her shoulders, and lowered his face to her level; his jaw clenched "I don't want to do that again, Ray..."

Ray gently placed her her hands over his wrists, she knew exactly what he meant. He didn't want to become separated from her again; and neither did she. Zack was part of her life now, her one and only constant.

"I'll be okay. I can just point them in the wrong direction. I can mark out a path while I'm up here so I won't get lost."

Isaac sighed, then dropped his hands back to his sides tucking them back into his hoodie, as he straightened up. His intense gaze connected with her blue hues, the man really didn't like this idea but he trusted Ray. She had never failed to remove them from an otherwise sticky situation.

"Fine. If ya honestly think you can make back...I'll letcha do this."

"I can do this, Zack." She said as she walked past him to get a better look around in order to plan her escape route.

Rachel tugged her hood over her head after descending down the rusty metal ladder. The light from the the police's search light lit up a good portion of the alleyways, this greatly improved her visibility. Though it also increased the danger, they must be very desperate to have this many cops out at this time of night, and in back alleys particularly.

The small girl formulated a plan in her mind, as she ran towards the nearest set of lights just around the corner. Doing her best to feign a look of panic; something she wasn't particularly good at but it didn't matter as long as they bought it.

"HELP! HELP!" She yelled, making sure they were aware of her presence before drawing their attention.

In mere seconds later Rachel, was surrounded by four officers; three men and one woman. She was forced to squint, and hold a hand up over her eyes to protect herself from the sudden brightness.

"Ma'am? Are you alright?" A woman with red hair was the first to speak.

Rachel quickly put her plan to draw them off to one spot into play, she could only hope that she could be convincing enough to pull this off. All she needed to do was point them in a particular direction, with enough urgency that they the majority of them in that direction.

Zack paced back and forth impatiently, his scythe slung over his shoulder. She had told him to wait for her to signal him that he was good to go. Although it'd probably only been a couple of minutes it had felt like hours since she had left, and the more time passed the more he anxious he felt about the situation.

The man halted when he saw a couple blinks from a flash llight down below. His worried expression instantly replaced by a grin, knowing that was his que to climb down and get the hell out of dodge. However, he wasn't leaving her behind; he had made up his mind about that much. If he had to slice up a cop or two so be it. It wouldn't be the first time and more than likely would not be the last.

Pinpointing where he had seen the flashes of light, was a simple enough task. When he found her, Rachel was standing alone against a wall holding her flashlight. Seemed she had managed to redirect them away without herself getting pulled into the mix.

"Zack?"

Ray looked startled at first as she hadn't expected him to come find her and hadn't known it was him right away. She blinked at the man walking towards her, he was suppose to leave without her not go looking for her first. Though, it really shouldn't come as a surprise to her, he was stubborn.

"Nice job, Ray. Ready to get outta this shithole?"

He greeted her with that sly grin of his, quickly closing the short distance that was left between them. It was obvious from the look on her face, much as she might try to hide it that she had not been thrilled with his decision.

"You said you were going to let me do this."

She was slightly annoyed that he hadn't listened to her but also relieved to see him. At least this way she would not have to worry as much about anyone else sneaking up on her.

"And I did. Didn't I?"

"You were supposed to go and let me meet up with you that was the agreement."

"Nah I said I'd let ya do what ya gotta do. I never said shit about what I was gonna do."

Rachel pinched her brows together and sighed. She supposed it didn't really matter, now that they were in the clear. The cops had taken the bait, so they shouldn't have too much difficulty leaving the city.

***December***

Rachel knelt beside the cooling body of Zack's most recent victim to pilfer the man for some cash. They had camped outside of what she presumed was a strip club, while Rachel carefully chose a victim who she suspected would have a decent amount of money. From the thick stack in his wallet, she knew she had made a wise choice. This would be enough to restock on supplies as well as pick up some new gloves, and perhaps a scarf.

The pair had been roughing it for a quite a while, as such some of their gear was worse for the wear. Snow had begun to blanket the ground, harsher weather had made their travels difficult, often they had to take cover due to the cold. The weather was sure to get worse over the next month, she wanted to do whatever she could to make it as comfortable as possible.

Ray made her way back to her companion and they proceeded back to a little abandoned shack they had found, just a little ways off from the town they had been trudging through. It had a nice little view over a lake, and was just a short cut through the woods. If there ever had been a house to go with it, the home was long gone. There had been a few traces of rubble not far from their little shelter. She wrapped her arms around herself after closing the door behind them.

"Fuck, this sucks." Isaac whined.

Zack tossed the bags to the side, then plopped down on the ground in the corner of the small building. It was empty minus a few rusted tools that had been left behind. Just enough room to set up their sleeping bags, as well as provide a bit more shelter than their tent would.

The man felt real shitty, given their current predicament was really his fault. Had he not allowed himself to given to his urges, they would be living much more comfortably. As a result their trek back would be incredibly slow. Not that they were really in a rush anyway. Given they still where unsure of the situation anymore, they would have to proceed with extreme caution.

Ray, knelt down to dig through one of the packs for a box of matches; then set out to the small mobile fire pit they had found inside the shack along with the two chairs they had set up outside towards the lake.

Snow blanketed the landscape; and part of the large body of water had frozen over except for the deepest areas. She lifted the cover of the pit and prepared a small fire both for warmth and to prepare some food she had purchased from the store.

The last shades of pink and orange streaked the sky, creating almost a glittering effect across the snow. Ray noted that it really was a rather pretty place; though she would prefer a better place to stay. Though really it didn't matter all that much so long as they were together. She had no regrets staying with the man, even if it meant living on the run til the day came for their oath to be fulfilled.

Rachel sat in one of the chairs near the fire; pondering that promise they had made; and how it brought them together. After he had asked her to try to live more, she had tried to do so. She thought about her death less and less with each passing week.

Though there were still moments in which she seemed to be consumed by it all over again...usually if she thought too deeply about the things she had done. That side of herself she hated so much...and her desire to die would suddenly rekindle. However, when this did happened for his sake she kept it to herself. She promised to not ask him to do so just yet...

"Why d'ya look so gloomy all the sudden?"

His voice snapped her from dark thoughts that had begun to form in her mind. She blinked at him, wondering how long he had been standing there while she stewed. His gaze fixated on her, as he took a seat in the other chair, his golden eye seeming to glow from the reflection of the fire dancing across the iris.

Rachel opened her mouth to respond; only to be interrupted by a loud crackling sound, and a flash of green across the sky. The loud noise was startling, neither had been very aware of the date.

"Tits on Christ, what was that!" Zack yelped nearly falling back in his chair. Another burst of color exploded in the sky, this time in a shade of bright red; then followed another and another.

"It must be New Years Eve." She stated as the firecrackers lit up the night sky.

"New years huh?"

The man gazed up at the night sky to watch the fantastic display over the lake. Isaac had seen them many times over the years and would hear people chattering about different holidays the same day as the night they would appear. A small smirk spread across his face; there was always more drunks wandering the alleyways those times too. Not that he'd be having any fun with his favorite sport when they had to stay away from heavily populated areas until the search for him had calmed down.

Though the man had evaded the police for many years even before Rachel came into the picture, he often had to wonder just how he had managed to do it without her. Her quick thinking combined with his raw strength had created the perfect team.

"It's pretty."

"Tch…"

Isaac rolled his eyes at her, such things didn't really interest him. However, though he would not say it out loud he did enjoy seeing how such simple things caused her eyes light up even if it was just a little. Though, her mood did seem a bit different tonight. Ever so often he would notice her eyes go back to more of a solemn state. He didn't usually ask her about it; as he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

A shiver ran up her spine, as a strong wind blew from across the lake; causing her to hug herself instinctively. It would have been really nice to be able to have the warmth of a room rather than some old abandoned shack. She would never complain though, Ray had merely accepted this was her life now; and as long as it was with him she would be okay with that. At least until the day he killed her that is.

"Cold?" Zack asked.

Rachel redirected her focus to her companion, and nodded her head. Zack used his fingers to beckon the small woman over towards himself. Without hesitation she obeyed, as she stood up to close the short distance between them.

"Ah!"

A short gasp escaped her lips, when the man gently grasped her arm to pull her into his lap; and wrap his toned arms around her. Isaac rested his chin on her shoulder, as she leaned her body back into his chest drawn by the warmth and security he provided. She closed her eyes, it was these small moments when he would do things like this for her, that she would feel less of that self hatred that always was in the back of her mind.

"Ya gonna tell me why ya got that dull look on yer face again?"

His question caused her to turn her head to look at him for a moment; she knew he wouldn't be happy with her if she told him the reason. That she still sometimes had moments were she wished he would just kill her; that she still had a sense of self loathing even when he was with her. Though he had always been there to make it more bearable.

Truthfully the time she has spent with Zack has been the happiest she had ever felt; but it didn't rid her of that sick part of herself that she hated so much.

"It's nothing…" She said, knowingly full well it would push his buttons if he caught her lying...which he did.

"Ray…" His voice grew stern. "You know I fuckin' hate lies…"

The man's grip on her tightened, one bandaged hand slid up to grab her face and force her to look at him. She could see the annoyance in his eyes, not that she could blame him. The woman knew the instant the words left her lips, that he would be able to tell she was not being truthful. It had just been almost a reflex to say it.

"I'm sorry...I just don't think it's a good idea to-"

"Yer wantin' to die again aren't you?" Zack cut her off, already knowing the answer.

Rachel tried to turn her head only to be stopped by the tightening of his fingers on her face, his wild gaze intense as always. She instead averted her gaze to the side, not wanting to look at him right now. The young woman sighed, before tilting her head forward into a short nod.

After what felt like several minutes of silence, Ray willed herself to glance back into the eyes that never left her face. She was surprised to see, a softer expression, though his features were relaxed, Zack's eyes looked...sad? The man sighed, before releasing her and placing his hand over his eyes.

"Zack?"

The sound and flashes of multiple firecrackers going off, drowned out her voice, drawing their attention to the night sky. Several colors went off one after the other in a fantastic display. Despite the beautiful show going on a short distance away, the silence between them lingered, and Zack's mood had noticeably taken a downturn.

The man simply sat there holding her, while they observed what appeared to be the finale of the firework show. He knew though he had asked her to try to live longer; because he couldn't work up the urge to kill her, because if she was gone then that meant he would be all alone again. Since she came into his life, he had experienced feelings he didn't understand. Never had he cared for another person, never had he had someone to protect...if she was gone he would never have these feelings about another person ever again. That much he knew was true, his arms tightened around her petite frame; as he buried his face into the crook of her neck.

He also knew that he couldn't completely change her desires anymore than she could change him into someone that wasn't a serial killer running from death row. Yet, she stayed alive for him; she never asked him to kill her again because he asked her not to...not just yet.

"Zack…" Her soft voice whispered. Ray reached a hand up to run through his dark locks of hair, the tips of her fingers massaged at his scalp in a soothing manner. "Even if I feel like this still sometimes...I'm not going to ask it of you…"

"I know...but even if ya don't ask...doesn't change that it's what ya want. Also doesn't change that I still promised you…", He mumbled into her hair, and she could feel the heat of his breath against the back of her neck.

"Zack.."

Rachel shifted in his lap, so that she was sitting with her legs dangling over his thighs; forcing his head up to look at her. A small pale hand reached up to cup the side of his bandaged face.

"If yer still miserable...I don't blame ya…" Sorrow flashed across his pretty amber eye, the look she saw there caused a sting in her heart. "I can't offer ya anything but this shitty life on the run and watchin' our backs 24/7…"

She brought her other hand up and cradled his face between her palms, her thumbs gently brushing against the bits of exposed skin beneath his eyes.

"I don't care about that...if I am going to be alive I wouldn't want to be anywhere but with you…" she paused, "It's true...at times I still get that feeling like I need to die; like i shouldn't be alive. But I'm not miserable with you. I just...I don't know."

"Hey, Ray?" Zack brought a hand up to tuck a few strands of hair behind her ear. "Back then...ya said that ya already tried to create a perfect family...but it wasn't real, because they weren't alive. Right?"

The young woman cocked her head at him not understanding why he was bringing that up now.

"Yeah…"

"But that's what ya wanted isn't it?" He asked.

"...I wanted a perfect family...but it's too late for that now…" Her eyes went even more dull, as she grew sickened at the thought of what she had done.

"Is it now?" He looked at her intently, his expression intense, it reminded her vaguely of that time when he had to snap her out of that haze of insanity; and helped her to accept who she was. "I don't know much about families...what they look like or what they're supposed t' do...so what does that really mean?"

"I-I don't know...I guess It's people who care about and take care of each other before anyone else."

The corners of his mouth tilted up into a smirk, Isaac combed his fingers through her hair and pulled her a little closer.

"Well...isn't that kind of what we do? Catch my drift?"

Rachel's eyes began to light up, as she started to understand what it was the man was trying to get at. He wasn't trying to fix her, or tell her she was wrong for how she felt. However, what had sparked what she had done that night...it was because of what she desired above anything else...to have a perfect family. Her family had been far from perfect, somehow she had thought in a twisted part of her head that it could be fixed with a needle and thread just like her dolls or clothes. That she could somehow fix it and turn it into something it wasn't and never would be.

What she had with him was everything she had wanted but never had from her biological family. She was cared for and wanted; he never made her feel like a waste of space, he encouraged her to make her own choices. Something no one else had ever done for her, not even Doctor Danny. The truth was that she did have a perfect family now...and he was right here, alive and well.

"Yeah." A small smile formed on her face, and the faint sparkle that was only for him returned.

"Good girl."

**January**

The need for money and supplies, drove the pair into a nearby city. Ray had tried to avoid heavily populated areas for the most part, however as the weather grew colder she wasn't sure they should be out in the wilderness. The snow had been falling rather heavily off and on the past few days. However, staying directly in the small city was not a wise move either. The news had gone more quiet about his reappearance, they were able to walk about a bit more freely, though not without caution.

They would simply cut through, acquire some cash, stock up on supplies then if possible perhaps they could find a warmer place just outside the city on the other side to stay for a few nights. At least until the snow slowed down, camping in it had not been ideal.

It was nightfall by time they had accomplished their goals and were nearing the city outskirts; then they would be able to take cover more easily. Ray had also remembered to stop by a store and purchase a charger for the phone she had fished off of the man who had been pursuing them for so long. If they could locate a motel to stay in for the night, she could get it charged up an perhaps there might be some missed calls or messages, to give a clue as to what was really going on. It was unlikely it would still be in service, but if there was even a slight chance...

"Hey isn't that..? YOU STOP! Isaac Foster you are under arrest!"

A male voice cut through her thoughts, stopping the pair of them dead in their tracks. She felt her heart rate increase, as it registered that they had just walked past a pair of cops. Ray had been so deep into her thoughts, that she hadn't paid attention.

"Fuck!" Zack cursed, spinning around.

She also turned to see two officers standing directly behind them. Their gun's aimed directly at Zack who was poised with his scythe; his jaw clenched.

"Holy shit! Is that the girl?"

One of the cops shifted his shocked gaze towards Rachel - ah that's right she was supposed to be dead wasn't she? His companion nodded in recognition and went to reach for his radio.

Zack glanced over at Ray, who tilted her head slightly forward knowing what the man was thinking. They had discussed what they would do should a scenario such as this occur. Now was the time to place that plan into action. Rachel carefully stuck her hand inside her pocket. Isaac was quick to have her held in front of him like a hostage his scythe across her neck; causing the policeman to freeze. As planned Ray would do the talking; after all Zack couldn't lie.

Soon as his blade was around her neck the officer paused then twisted his face in disgust.

"If you were going to kill her you sick bastard; you would've already done so."

Isaac growled, pressing the sharp blade closer to her neck almost cutting the soft flesh; as the man tried to call his bluff. The metal was cold against her pale skin, but it did not make her even the least bit afraid.

"Please sir….he really will do it."

Ray feigned the innocent victim as she had done on prior occasions. Her expression was empty, as she gazed at the two men before them. They couldn't be allowed to escape now that they had seen her. This was something she knew both her and Zack non verbally agreed on.

The cop's raised their hands in a non hostile stance, meaning they were not going to take the chance that she was not telling the truth. This would work in their favor as it always had in the past.

" Isaac...let the girl go." The man nervously tried to give Ray a smile. "It's gonna be alright sweety. We will get you away from this monster."

She felt Zack tense up soon as they uttered that word; she knew how much he hated it. Honestly it made her angry as well, they truly were clueless when it came to her relationship with the man. Rachel's exterior gave away nothing,she just knew they needed to get out of this situation quickly and without drawing anymore attention.

"Toss your weapons over...and he will let me go."

Rachel, tightened her grip on the small handgun in her pocket; bracing herself incase she would need to withdraw it. She would rather not as it would make too much noise and eventually attract more more law enforcement.

The two men slowly motioned their bodies to the ground; carefully they placed their guns to the ground, and kicked them towards the serial killer.

"Alright….we've done as you asked….now the girl go." The pair slowly stepped back.

A sadistic grin painted over Zack's face, as he removed the blade from Ray's neck. Without a moment's hesitation, he lunged towards the policemen with his weapon reeled back. A maniacal cackle rumbling from his chest.

One of the men was quick to react pulling a hidden handgun from his vest, he managed to get off a single shot which Isaac dodged easily before slicing his body in half with a single movement. The crazy serial killer swiftly pivoted on his feet to send another blow to the dead man's companion. His blade erupted from the man's chest, as the sound of bone breaking through his back and blood spattering echoed in his ears.

Zack grinned sadistically as he yanked the blade from the man's back, then stomped on a receiver that had fallen to the ground, smashing it to bits. After he flicked the excessive crimson liquid from his blade, he turned to face his companion to praise her for a job well done.

The smile fell from his face, as he took in her small frame kneeling on the ground, blood stained her clothing, her expression hidden by her blonde tresses...the single bullet he had dodged had hit Rachel...

"R-ray?"